Mail-distributing system.



No. 737,963. PATENTED SEPT. 1, 1903.

P. REIGH. MAIL DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM.

APPLICATION IILBD IOV. 7, 1902.

H0 MODEL.

NITED STATES Patented September 1, 1903.

PHILIP REIOH, OF NEIV YORK, N. Y.

MAIL-DISTRIBUTING SYSTEM SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 737,963, dated September 1, 1903.

Application filed November 7, 1902. Serial No. 130,387. (No modelJ To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIP REICH, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Manhattan, in the city and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Mail-Distributing Systems, of which the following is a specification.

I will describe the apparatus as having at each end,at the top,two tilting boxes mounted on pivots which are supported in bearings in stationary frames. Each box is divided by one thin partition into two receptacles, which I will term the first receivers Below each of these first receivers, conveniently placed to receive the mail-matter therefrom by gravity, are what I will term the second receivers, which correspond in number and position with the first. The boxes containing the first receivers are equipped with means which I will show as hinged rods and handles by which the attendant can tilt them at proper times when he sees they are filled or when for any reason he judges it expedient, and thus discharge the contents of each into the corresponding second receiver.

I provide a traveling carriage running on a railway below, which is also correspondingly equipped with two tilting boxes, each divided into two compartments, corresponding to the receivers. This carriage is moved by an arm from an endless belt and takes the contents of the second receivers automatically. It is moved back and forward on the track and is caused to dump its contents into exchangeable receptacles, which I will describe as mailbags, held temporarily below. After the carriage has thus emptied the contents of its several tilting boxes into a corresponding number of mail-bags, two tiers being served by the aid of chutes, the carriage may without stopping continue its motion to the right and perform a similar service for another set of first and second receivers, in returning from which latter, moving to the left, the carriage discharges again at a previously-determined place on the route. I will show the place as distinct from but adjacent to the place where the carriage dumped in going to the right, but this may be varied.

I have devised means for conveniently effecting the several motions.

It results from my invention that two attendants sitting or standing at opposite ends of a short railway each performs his active movements with but slight changes of place, using his intelligence according to the addresses written or printed on letters or parcels and distributes into separate receptacles which are arranged to be easily reached by simply inclining his body and extending his arms or by slightly tossing the parcels and tilting those receptacles at intervals, taking care to do so while the carriage is absent, may go on distributing, allowing all the subsequent movements of that matter to be done automatically.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification and represent means for carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 is a general perspective view. Fig. 2 is a corresponding view of a portion of the carriage and on a larger scale; and Fig. 3 is a corresponding view of one of the tilting devices, on a still larger scale, detached. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of a portion showing a modification. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a portion, showing a modification.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding partsin all the figures where they appear.

I will use the letter A with or without supernumerals to designate the stationary parts.

A A are horizontal bars of iron constituting a railway on which rests a carriage B, which is moved backward and forward thereon and liberated and allowed to stop at certain points by means of blocks D, carried 011 continuous ly-moving belts D, carried on drums rotated by an electric engine or other suitable power. (Not shown.) There is one arm or cleat D on each belt. A A are upright frames which support at high points the horizontal pivots of two tilting boxes E, which Iwill term the first receivers, each equipped with an arm E, extending upward. To each of the latter is pivoted or otherwise yieldingly connected a rod F, supported in an extension of the upright frame A and having a convenient handle F. At a lower level are pivoted similar tilting boxes G, correspondingly partitioned and having each a short arm G extending downward. I will term these the second receivers.

Each operator sits or stands near the uprights A at his end of the system and in distributing the parcels glances at the several addresses and reaching or tossing the parcels successively into the several first receivers E the parcels accumulate in each more or less rapidly until some are nearly or quite filled. At any time when the carriage B is not at his station he pulls one of the handles F and tilts the connected box E, so as to completely empty it, and the contents are discharged by gravity into the corresponding box G, the contents of the several compartments being kept distinct and being thus transferred into the corresponding lower compartments, the second receivers G,readyto be afterward dumped automatically into the corresponding compartment of a tilting box in the carriage B. The operator can pullboth handles I at once and thus dump both the boxes E E at the same time if he prefers. He then proceeds with the further distribution into the first receivers, giving no further care to the lots after they are dumped.

The carriage B carries two tilting boxes O Cieach partitionedtoformtwo compartments.

Another set of first and second receivers, corresponding to the set described, mounted at the other end of the railway A A, I will term the back receivers. It will be understood that there is an attendant there performing a similar duty and that the mail-matter from the back receivers is carried to the same or other mail-bags by the return motions of the same carriage.

It will now be seen that the carriage B, with its tilting boxes, travels from the left, which I will term the front set E of the receivers first described, to the back set and forward again, either constantly or whenever desired, being completely or partially filled at each end of its route and discharging on the way into correspondingly-separated receptacles.

The engagement of the block I) with the carriage B is effected by the aid of pins 1 J, which extend horizontally at different levels from each of two upright slides I and J, connected to the ends, respectively, of a lever K, having its center supported 011 the carriage B, that the gravity of the slides tends to balance each other.

The short slide I has pins I I at different levels. The lowermost, I, lies ordinarily in the path to be engaged by the block D on the belt D, and the uppermost I at'the proper time receives the action of the fixed campiece A to elevate that slide, so that the lower pin 1 will lose its hold on the block D and allow such block to move idly under it. The long slide J is correspondingly equipped. The slide I, with its pins I 1 serves in moving the carriage to the left and releasing it. The

long slide J, with its pins J J serves in effecting the movement to the right and releasing it.

M M, 850., are the several mail-bags into which the mail-matter in the several tilting boxes 0 (J is finally placed ready to be carried away. A A are hoppers arranged to correspond with the boxes 0 0 By the aid of descending chutes A A from some of these hoppers the mail-matter may be carried to bags, which are variously placed to allow sufficient space and to afford convenience for attaching and detaching.

I have described how the driving of the carriage B is effected by blocks D, which extend upward from each belt D and engage not directly with the carriage, but with pins I J on the slides I J, and is liberated and allowed to stop a little time to better receive its load at each end of its route. My experiments indicate that the tilting boxes 0 C in the carriage B, by reason of their contents being kept lively by the slight shaking incident to its motion or from other cause, can discharge completely into the hoppers A A A A without any corresponding stopping or even retarding of the transversing motion. Such tilting is induced by tilting catches P, hung on fixed horizontal arms A and resting against fixed horizontal bars A (See Figs. 1 and 4.) Each tilting box 0 or C in the carriage B is provided with a short arm 0 extending upwardfwhich when the carriage moves to the right strikes the corresponding tilting catch P, and, finding the latter unyielding by reason of its being rigidly supported by the bar A the box itself is tilted and dumps its contents into the corresponding hopper, and then as soon as it has passed the obstruction the tilting box 0 or C is again righted by gravity. On the return motion to the left the same part 0 on the box collides with the same catch P, but now the latter is free to tilt and does so, thus allowing the carriage to move past without its boxes being tilted. )orresponding parts not shown may serve to perform the same duties for the disposal of the loads received from the back receivers.

The tilting of the second receivers G is effected as follows: Two short arms B B extending up, respectively, from the left edge and the center partition of thecarriage B, strike simultaneously against the bottom arms G of the tilting boxes G and compel the tilting of the latter. The liberation of the carriage B from its engagement with the belt by the tilting of the lever K and the corresponding elevation of the pin I is so timed that it will take place .while the boxes, the second receivers G, are in this tilted position. During the whole period while the parts remain in this position the mail-matter may descend into the carriage.

. G and C are arms extending downward from the tilting boxes 0 O in the carriage B.

WVhen the carriage is moving to the left in- Fig. 1, they strike tilting catches Q Q, which are located near the rails and induce the tilting of the boxes. Fig. 3 shows one of these parts detached on a larger scale. When the carriage moves from the left to the right, these catches Q tilt idly and offer no resistance. The location of these catches Q Q determines into which of the hoppers the boxes shall dump the loads which they have received from the back receivers. If placed as shown in Fig. 1, they will dump into the hoppers A A If they are shifted farther to the left, they will dump into the hoppers A A.

Modifications may be made without departing from the principle or sacrificing the advantages of theinvention. One handle F and one rod F may connect with and always dump both the first receivers at one end at once.

I have shown the tilting boxes or receivers E and all other parts as two in number and as each divided by a partition into two compartments; but in practice there may be more boxes and more receivers in each box, taking care to correspondingly arrange the other parts.

Instead of having the carriage dump into different mail-bags M M in its movement to the left it may dump into the same bags 1" M This may be preferred in small offices and in any cases where there is only a small mail going to some points. Fig. 4 shows the dumping means arranged for such use of the invention.

More than two attendants may work at the different stations.

I propose in some cases to provide a hood on the top of the first receiver to aid in receiving the mail-matter and guiding it into the proper tilting boxes. Fig. 5 shows such modification.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a mail-distributing system, first receivers, second receivers below the same, the second arranged to receive from the first at will, and a carriage with means for moving it, in combination with mechanism for delivering the contents from the second receivers automatically into the carriage, all substan tially as herein specified.

2. In a mail-distributing system, a carriage with provisions for moving it on a railway, a series of separate final receptacles M, means for automatically receiving the load through two sets of receivers E and G, the first discharging the material at will into the second, means for tilting the second automatically and thereby dumping the contents into such carriage and provisions for discharging automatically from such carriage into the receptacles M at another point, all substantially as herein specified.

In a mail-distributing system, a carriage running on ways, a series of separate final receptacles M, an endless belt running over pulleys, means for engaging and releasing the carriage, tilting boxes divided into compartments mounted in such carriage and two partitioned receivers one over the other for automatically delivering mail-matter into the compartments of such carriage at one point and means for automatically discharging it into corresponding fixed compartments M at another point, all combined and arranged to serve substantially as herein specified.

In testimony that I claim the invention above set forth I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PHILIP REIOH.

. \Vitnesses:

J. B. CLAUTICE, M. F. BOYLE. 

